


The Bracelet, Again

by MissILikeTooManyFandoms



Series: The Beifongs [7]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Family Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 21:16:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2788058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissILikeTooManyFandoms/pseuds/MissILikeTooManyFandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lin's bracelet won't leave her alone. It's driving her insane.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bracelet, Again

“Transfer to Ba Sing Se request. Denied.” Tap. Tap. Tap. “Investigation into the attempted kidnapping of Cabbage Corp heir concluded. Arrest made. Awaiting trial.” Tap. Tap. Tap. “Nori. Female. Twenty. Affiliated with Triple Threat Triad.” Tap. Tap. Tap. Lin adjusted her tunic, pulling at her sleeve while she waited for her mother to continue. Several stacks of police reports, requests, and various other paper work, some complete, others blank covered the table. Lin sat in the fort of paper with the typewriter, almost constantly rolling her shoulder, her expression darkening every few minutes. “Oh, your favorite. The citizen tip line.” Toph had barely smirked before her eldest daughter exploded.

“Mom, cut it out!”

“What’s your deal, Lin?”

“You know what! It’s not funny anymore.”

“Lin, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Are you losing your mind? Have you been spending too much time with Katara?” Toph arched a brow while Lin fumed. Satisfied that the teenager would remain quiet, Toph resumed dictating. “Vandalism reported on several statues around the city. Fill out one of those follow up forms. Request clean-up crews and restructure a few patrols to sweep those areas.” Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Lin practically ripped the form out of the roller and replaced it. “Do you need a break, kiddo?” 

“A break from you maybe.” Lin spoke under her breath but not quietly enough.

“I’m blind, not deaf.” Toph grinned at her daughter’s huff. “Alright. A few more and maybe I’ll run out and grab some dumplings. And if you’re nice, I might even pick up some fresh fire flakes. How’s that sound?”

“Fine.” Lin groaned at her mother’s arched brow.

“Oh yes please that’d be delightful, mother!”

“Brat.”

“I don’t have to do these reports.” 

“I don’t have to feed you.” Lin dutifully placed paper back in the typewriter. “That’s what I thought. Citizen tip line was it? Oh this is a good one. Apparently there’s an Avatar imposter. Why anyone would want to dress up like your Uncle Twinkletoes? It’s beyond me-“

“MOM!”

“LIN!”

“Can you please cut it out. I get it. You’re the greatest bender who ever lived. I’ll do fifty more reports so long as you just leave my arm alone.”

“Lin, though I don’t disagree with you, I still have no idea what you’re…wait. Arm? Is it the bracelet?” Toph had stopped her thoughtful pacing, her usual habit when she dictated reports.

“Yes my bracelet. Which you have been torturing me with for the past half hour.”

“Lin, I haven’t been messing with the bracelet.” Lin stared Toph, the chief of police staring blindly back. 

“Su.” Mother and daughter spoke and then ran out of the room in unison. “Su!” The duo found the youngest of their family standing in the den glaring fiercely at the radio. 

“And the Badgermoles are in the drink! Komodo rhinos win!”

“Noooo!” Su flopped backwards on to the couch. Lin groaned when her sister landed, gripping her arm.

“Lin, take it off.” Su turned, stretched awkwardly to look at her mother and sister.

“Gladly.” Lin worked the bracelet out from under her tunic, bending the meteorite down her arm and out of the sleeve.

“Little riled up from that match are we squirt?” Toph caught the meteorite when Lin tossed it, bending it lazily.

“Yes…” The ten year old’s gaze flickered between the two of them warily, suspicion clear in her features. “I lost a bet.”

“A bet? What? Have to do someone’s homework for a week?”

“I lost ten yuans, Lin!”

“Where did you even get ten yuans? You better not have swiped it from me.”

“I earned it. Fair and square.”

“Oh? Cheating at street games again?”

“I’m scamming the scammers. It’s perfectly fair.”

“Not that this isn’t fascinating but we’ll return to Su’s less than legal activities later which, by the way, I don’t know if I’m more upset or impressed. Kid after my own heart.”

“Mom!”

“Settle down.” Lin glowered, crossing her arms. “You’ve been annoying your sister, Su, which on its own isn’t very exciting but I don’t think you mean to this time.”

“What?”

“Do you know what this is?” Toph morphed the meteorite into a few more shapes.

“Lin’s bracelet. It’s special or whatever.”

“Your Uncle Sokka gave it to me. It’s very special. It’s from a meteorite. I used to use it to recruit for my metalbending academy. Being able to bend this is an indicator for being able to bend metal.” Su’s face lit up as she leapt from the couch to stand in front of her mother, her eyes fixated on the meteorite. Toph grinned, feeling her daughter’s rapid heartbeat and the excitement vibrating off of her. “Try it out.” She tossed it, her grin widening when Su failed to catch the meteorite with her hands, instead suspending it with bending. “You’re a natural. Not surprising, but congratulations.” Even Lin was smiling as her sister played with the meteorite.

“So do I get to train with you and Lin now? With the cables?”

“Not quite, squirt, but soon enough.” Lin had moved around to stand beside her sister, looking over her shoulder. She glanced at Toph before leaning down to whisper in Su’s ear.

“I’ll train you when she’s at work. We can play with the cables.” Su looked up, grinning. Lin showed her a few tricks with the meteorite, which the preteen picked up on quickly. After about half an hour of playing around, Lin and Su having settled together in the floor with Toph sprawled out on the couch, late night radio announced itself.

“Alright, kiddos. Time for bed.” Su sighed, handing the meteorite to Lin as she stood to leave. The eldest Beifong sibling stared at the lump in her hand for a few seconds before quickly bending it in half.

“Hey, Su.” Lin tossed part of the meteorite to her sister, the lump now in the shape of a ring. Su nearly took the fourteen year old down, hugging her tight around the waist. 

“Thanks!”

“Hey, it was Mom’s. It should be both of ours, right?” Toph smiled as she took in the scene before her. Her children usually fought like cat owls and deer dogs. The smile soon fell as, unsurprisingly, the exchange took a turn.

“Hey, how old were you when you got the bracelet?”

“Twelve. Why?”

“Ha! I’m ten! My metalbending showed first! I’m gonna be a better metalbender than you!”

“Oh, really? Then fine! Forget me training you then!”

Toph buried her face in her hands, groaning loudly before sending her children yelping off to bed with a few strategic shots of earth. 

 

When everyone climbed out of the wreckage and Baatar Jr. was whisked away to be looked to, Lin and Su did not speak much nor did they hug, though had certainly been more affectionate of late. They stood next to each other, Lin gripping the meteorite ring strung on a chain around her neck, Su twisting the ring’s twin on her hand.


End file.
